Shipping of bulk goods such as but not limited to chemicals and other commodities is accomplished utilizing various forms of transportation such as but not limited to rail, tractor-trailers and marine shipping. The latter includes vessels such as but not limited to tankers and barges. Barges are typically utilized along coastal areas and in major rivers to transport the aforementioned items and other goods from producers to ports and/or customers. Barges are known in the art and are containers vessels that require to either be towed or pushed with a tugboat.
One problem that is encounter when towing/pushing barges is the requirement to couple many barges together for movement thereof. It is common for barges to be placed either beam-to-beam or arranged in a forward-aft pattern. The operable coupling of these barges is typically accomplished by cables and/or ropes and requires several deckhands to accomplish the task. These cables or ropes are secured and tightened utilizing a device commonly known as a tugboat ratchet. The tugboat ratchet includes a rotatable tubular body having a reciprocating handle secured thereto. While these devices are effective, they have proven to be time consuming to use. Depending on the conditions and the skill of the deckhands, the coupling of the barges can be a labor-intensive task that can consume time.
Accordingly, there is a need for a barge-coupling device that is operable to facilitate a more efficient coupling of at least two barges in preparation for the barges to be towed together.